What happened
Around midday, a twin engine airplane departed from Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport, bound for Macará. The flight was carrying three crew members and six passengers, including the President of the Republic of Ecuador, who was traveling on an official visit to the country's southern region.
While the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 7,700 feet through marginal weather conditions, it collided with the slope of Mt Huayra Pungo, situated approximately 40 km north of Macará. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft, which carried the registrations HC-BHG and FAE001A. There were no survivors among the nine fatalities recorded in the accident.
Findings
Because the aircraft lacked any flight recording equipment, investigators could not establish a definitive cause for the crash. However, the Ecuadorian Air Force concluded that the accident was a result of controlled flight into terrain caused by a navigational error made by the crew while operating in conditions of limited visibility.